In email marketing, ensuring email deliverability is quite essential. Every branding expert would do their best to avoid their email hitting in spam folder. However, despite the best efforts—such as creating clear subject lines, well-designed emails, and maintaining a consistent sending schedule—emails can still end up in spam.
So, the question is how do I fix my email delivery problem?
It doesn’t matter how much hard work you’ve put into sending emails, but it doesn’t deliver to the recipient’s mailbox. It’s frustrating enough to know that your emails have never reached the sender’s inbox.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- What is email delivery failure
- Major email delivery problems
- Issues with email delivery
- Discover why email fails to deliver
- How to fix email delivery problems
What is Email Delivery Failure?
Email delivery failure indicates when an email message fails to reach its targeted recipient or is not successfully delivered to their inbox. Instead of being delivered to the recipient’s mailbox, the email faces an issue during delivery and is either bounced back to the sender or rejected by the email system.
When an email delivery failure happens, the sender usually receives a notification with a bounce back or non-delivery report (NDR). Examining these messages can help identify the specific problem and assist in troubleshooting efforts.
Major Email Delivery Problems
Dealing with email delivery issues can be frustrating, but you’re not alone in this case. Today, we’ll discuss major email delivery problems that cause your messages to vanish in the air.
1. Email Bounce Backs:
The ordinary case is when you get a bounce: for example, when the recipient’s address is full of soft bounce, (such case just wait and resend the email) or worst, when it’s non-existent (a hard bounce: in such case you need to remove the account from your list).
To solve the bounce-back issues, ensure that email addresses are entered accurately, check for any server issues, and make sure your sender’s reputation is positive.
2. Check Servers and IPs:
Failures in email delivery can also occur due to SMTP connection and are diagnosed easily if you know where to look. For example, senders frequently experience SMTP connection problems due to their antivirus software, issues with their mailbox provider, or incompatibility with the application they are using.
Irrespective of the server, you need to manage your IP address as well, ensuring you are following the best techniques to avoid any violation with mailbox providers.
3. Spam Filters
When it comes to spam filters, they play an important role in determining whether your email ends up in the recipient’s inbox or the feared spam folder. To avoid spamming you can follow these practices:
- Select a trustworthy service provider that has a solid sender’s reputation
- Make sure your email content is relevant, individualized, and not overly promotional, as this can trigger spam filters.
- Use a clear and engaging subject line, avoid abundant use of special characters or capital letters, and ensure your emails have a healthy balance of text and images.
- Clean your email list on a regular basis or invalid addresses to maintain a high delivery rate and reduce bounce rates.
4. Malware Attack:
Imagine receiving a “Mail Delivery Failure” notification for messages you did not send at all. It means; you’ve been under a malware attack: a virus is using your account to send spam emails – and that explains the origin of all the bounces you got.
The major issue could be a worm virus, in which case you should run your antivirus software immediately, or it could be spoofing, where a spammer uses your email address to impersonate you. Since these problems can be challenging to prevent, it is advisable to implement email authentication measures.
5. Invalid Email Addresses:
It’s not possible to send emails to non-existing addresses
Sending emails to incorrect or misspelled addresses also leads to delivery failures. This happens when recipients provide incorrect email addresses.
Whenever you send your emails, make sure they are sent to the right recipients on their specific Email addresses.
Issues With Email Delivery:
Knowing the issues of email delivery failures is hard. But when everything starts working out, the reward can be incredible for your business– that’s why you’re putting your heart and soul into it.
Whether you are sending marketing emails to gain revenue or transactional emails to help stakeholders achieve their objectives, effective email communication is an impactful foundation for multiple business.
While some organizations have email marketing down to a science, many more are caught in a constant battle—struggling with email delivery problems and wasting valuable time and money just to get their emails to land where they should.
Discover Why Email Fails to Deliver:
Email delivery failures can happen due to a variety of reasons, primarily related to email content, sender reputation, and technical issues. One common issue is poor list hygiene, where emails are sent to outdated or incorrect addresses. Sending to such addresses increases bounce rates and negatively impacts your sender’s reputation.
If recipients frequently mark your emails as spam, your sender reputation suffers, increasing the likelihood of your emails being filtered out afterward.
Technical issues also impact email delivery. Without proper email authentication—such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records—emails seem doubtful and blocked. Additionally, failing to properly warm up a new IP address before sending a high volume of emails can lead to delivery issues.
How to Fix Email Delivery Problems:
Email delivery problems can be daunting, but they don’t have to be a hurdle in your email strategy. By understanding the common traps and using the best strategies—like checking your server and IP settings, authenticating your bounce rates, and refining your email content—you can ensure your messages reach the right inbox every time.
So always check on your deliverability, and implement these practices to ensure your emails reach your audience’s inboxes— leaving a lasting impression.
